I-49 photos north of Shreveport 5-July-2014 - nearly complete

[MaxConcrete]

The long section from north of Gilliam, LA to the existing AR 549 in Arkansas appears to be very close to completion. The only work in progress I noticed was at the existing entrance to AR 549 and could be done within weeks. Of course there could be more work in progress on sections not visible from US 71.


This is at LA 1 just north of Shreveport. The freeway is open to the north but southward into Shreveport work is in progress, shown in this view.


Going north, the freeway ends just south of Hosston. But this sign should be gone soon.


Exit to US 71 south of Hosston.


On the east side of Hosston the signage is in place with covers over the I-49 shields.


Another covered shield.


This is between Hosston and Ida where US 71 crosses over I-49. The interstate is complete and ready for traffic. There is no interchange here.


This is on the west side of Ida, with another redacted I-49 shield.


This is at the entrance to AR 549. There is no I-49 signage on AR 549.

[bjrush]

On the east side of Hosston the signage is in place with covers over the I-49 shields.

Looks like they reversed the order of the signs so it would be easier to take the garbage bags off. Looks cheesy with the green sign on top

This is on the west side of Ida, with another redacted I-49 shield.

That I-49 sign must have some huge moment associated with it. There is a shitload of concrete around that sucker

Thanks for posting the photos

[Grzrd]

This is on the west side of Ida, with another redacted I-49 shield.

It's interesting that the South I-49 shield in the background is uncovered (it also looks like the I-49 shield on the bridge is uncovered), but the North I-49 shield and the JCT I-49 shield remain covered.

Great photos!  Thanks for sharing them.

[MaxConcrete]

This is on the west side of Ida, with another redacted I-49 shield.

It's interesting that the South I-49 shield in the background is uncovered (it also looks like the I-49 shield on the bridge is uncovered), but the North I-49 shield and the JCT I-49 shield remain covered.

Great photos!  Thanks for sharing them.

Here is the original unreduced image. There is some evidence of tape on the uncovered sign so I'm thinking someone tore off the cover. The green cover on the sign is not like the other black covers. The green cover appears to be more improvised; maybe the original black covers were removed and this was a replacement.

This intersection was not strict in covering the I-49 shields compared to the Hosston intersection.

It was very easy to drive around the "Road Closed" signs and cruise on the unopened highway. I'm sure many folks have, and I was tempted.

[Grzrd]

Here is the original unreduced image ... It was very easy to drive around the "Road Closed" signs and cruise on the unopened highway. I'm sure many folks have, and I was tempted.

Thanks for the follow-up! The "Road Closed" signs do look half-hearted. I wonder if LaDOTD is quietly allowing local traffic to drive it?

There is some evidence of tape on the uncovered sign so I'm thinking someone tore off the cover.

Also, great Zapruder-like catch on the "(Not So) Magic Tape". 

[cjk374]

Back in the 1980s, then-senator Foster Campbell used a portion of then-closed I-49 between Shreveport and Natchitoches.  He found a section of concrete that was missing in the road...the hard way!  It totaled his car and put him in the hospitals for a few days.  It made the news statewide, and somehow was still re-elected a couple of times as senator, and now he is on the Louisiana Public Service Commission.   

[US71]

Back in the 1980s, then-senator Foster Campbell used a portion of then-closed I-49 between Shreveport and Natchitoches.  He found a section of concrete that was missing in the road...the hard way!  It totaled his car and put him in the hospitals for a few days.  It made the news statewide, and somehow was still re-elected a couple of times as senator, and now he is on the Louisiana Public Service Commission.   

Wasn't there a policeman in Tennessee who recently made the same mistake?

[Grzrd]

Back in the 1980s, then-senator Foster Campbell used a portion of then-closed I-49 between Shreveport and Natchitoches.  He found a section of concrete that was missing in the road...the hard way!  It totaled his car and put him in the hospitals for a few days.  It made the news statewide, and somehow was still re-elected a couple of times as senator, and now he is on the Louisiana Public Service Commission.   

Wasn't there a policeman in Tennessee who recently made the same mistake?

Yes, about a month before the most recent section of TN 385/ Future I-269 opened; it cost him his life:

http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/23752940/single-car-crash-kills-deputy

[mcdonaat]

On the east side of Hosston the signage is in place with covers over the I-49 shields.

Looks like they reversed the order of the signs so it would be easier to take the garbage bags off. Looks cheesy with the green sign on top

This is on the west side of Ida, with another redacted I-49 shield.

That I-49 sign must have some huge moment associated with it. There is a shitload of concrete around that sucker

Thanks for posting the photos

What exactly do you mean by reversed signage?

Also, Louisiana does this with any new Interstate signs, for breakaway posts and to make the mowing jobs easier - all that concrete means no weed eating.

[bjrush]

Seems like normally the shields are atop the green destination sign

[dariusb]

It's great to see the progress on this route. Can't wait when Septemer comes and able to ride down to Shreveport on this new road.

[mcdonaat]

Seems like normally the shields are atop the green destination sign

Ah... really? Usually the destination sign is up top. Maybe it's the opposite in Arkansas...

EDIT: Found some photos. The weird thing, to me, is that the shields are actually very close to the destination sign.







Apologies if the pictures are scaled to be huge, but these are copied from the aaroads website.

It is great to see the highway progressing! Can't wait to see "To Texarkana" on the 3132 signs actually mean that you can stay on freeway for the entire route to Texarkana.

[cjk374]

Seems like normally the shields are atop the green destination sign

I've seen the shields on top in Arkansas, but not so much in Louisiana.

[Scott5114]

Going north, the freeway ends just south of Hosston. But this sign should be gone soon.

Why do some states sometimes use this many poles? I want to say the welcome sign to SD I passed when I visited that state had five poles holding up a sign smaller than this one.

Around here, it's unusual to see a sign with more than two poles.

[bassoon1986]

Going north, the freeway ends just south of Hosston. But this sign should be gone soon.

Why do some states sometimes use this many poles? I want to say the welcome sign to SD I passed when I visited that state had five poles holding up a sign smaller than this one.

Around here, it's unusual to see a sign with more than two poles.

Seeing this picture makes me wonder if the destinations at exit 4 on AR 549 in Arkansas will drop "Shreveport" once I-49 north across the state line is completed. I'm sure they posted that because they knew I-49 would not be completed for many years, rather than posting Doddridge and Ida, LA, or just Doddridge. The northernmost exit on I-49 in Louisiana now for Hosston and Gilliam makes sense rather than posting Texarkana temporarily for just one year.

[US71]

Going north, the freeway ends just south of Hosston. But this sign should be gone soon.

Why do some states sometimes use this many poles? I want to say the welcome sign to SD I passed when I visited that state had five poles holding up a sign smaller than this one.

Around here, it's unusual to see a sign with more than two poles.

Seeing this picture makes me wonder if the destinations at exit 4 on AR 549 in Arkansas will drop "Shreveport" once I-49 north across the state line is completed. I'm sure they posted that because they knew I-49 would not be completed for many years, rather than posting Doddridge and Ida, LA, or just Doddridge. The northernmost exit on I-49 in Louisiana now for Hosston and Gilliam makes sense rather than posting Texarkana temporarily for just one year.

US 71 was changed at Texarkana from Texarkana /Shreveport to simply Texarkana.

As far as the extra sign poles, that may be for more sturdiness in case there's a hurricane?

[formulanone]

Why do some states sometimes use this many poles? I want to say the welcome sign to SD I passed when I visited that state had five poles holding up a sign smaller than this one.

Around here, it's unusual to see a sign with more than two poles.

Minnesota seems to use extra "diagonal support" poles; Mississippi likes to use a few extra for no reason at all. Seems to be an odd waste, unless the terrain is really uneven, the sign is quite wide, or there's lots of wind in the area.

[cjk374]

It looks like regular u-channel posts having to hold up a large, heavy extruded sheet sign.  May need that many posts to hold it up.  It will also be easier to remove this sign once the interstate is finished.

[Brian556]

This type of sign is typically installed on 2 I-beans. They had to use four posts because they used less-sturdy u-channels. They probably chose U-Channels over I-beams due to the temporary nature of this sign.

At least they were thinking ahead. In Texas, when the new SH 121 freeway opened; Large signs that said "NO TOLL UNTIL [XX DATE]" were installed on permanent I-beams, wasting a lot of money, considering that they only lasted about a month.

[apjung]

Is I-49 open from Hosston to Rodessa-Ida Rd for local traffic?

[apjung]

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough!